Report -Leeds International Swimming Pool 28/01/09

I should have danced all night

This was the first of a couple of places we decided to go on our trip north-ishwards. Dragging ourselves out of bed and armed with a couple of postcodes scribbled onto the back of an envelope, we ventured out into the thick fog. Driving conditions were undesirable with just ten metre visibilty to play with. The trip towards Leeds was over in no time but included a hefty "discussion" over the rules of the middle lane on the motorway-probably best left alone!

This huge swimming pool did not disappoint in its impressiveness even if it was very soggy. The pikeys and kids have got in over the last year and evidence of vandalism is rife. There's still lots to see though and well worth a visit if you're in the area.

A little piece from the BBC website when it closed:

For 40 years the city centre pool has claimed its distinctive place on the city's skyline. Love it or loathe it, the building has always generated strong feelings. Its innovative design was by disgraced Yorkshire architect John Poulson (he was jailed in 1974 for his part in a bribery and corruption scandal). The building has a distinctive 1960s look.
Leeds International Pool

Over the years the pool has provided a base for the City of Leeds Swimming Club to become one of the country's leading clubs. Its proximity to the centre of Leeds made it an ideal place for recreational swimmers too.

The building was often described as 'the Olympic pool' but in fact it was too narrow to meet Olympic criteria and was actually built to a lesser International standard.

Despite a campaign mounted to save the International Pool, that described the pool as "...a dramatic building, strongly geometric, uncompromising in character, and a landmark for the city", the Westgate facility will close permanently on Sunday October 21 2007. The valuable site will be redeveloped.

A replacement pool will open at the John Charles Centre for Sport in Beeston on Monday 29 October 2007.